Tap device for wooden barrels



Dec. 25, 1923.

w. RUPP TAP DEVICE FOR WOODEN BARRELS' 7 Filed Jan. 11 1922 INVENTORZlfi'llz'am Rupp ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25, 192 3.

- oNiTao'sTATas PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM RUYP, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TAP DEVICE FOR WOODEN BARRELS.

Application filed January 1 1, 1922. Serial No. 528,387.

cess to the contents of the barrel, which is easily put back in place,and which is so simple that it hardly adds to the cost of the barrel.For this purpose I provide the barrel with a screw-threaded hole at asuitable point, which may be in the head or in a stave. This hole isformed with a shoulder.

at the outer end for receiving a gasket of suitable material. Into thescrew-threaded hole fits a non-metallic screw plug (preferably of wood)having a flange arranged to engage the gasket when the plug is screwedtight. The head of the plug is provided ith'suitable means to permitturning of the plug into and out of closing position. The lug islocked'against rotation (as during shipment of tl 'e barrel) by readilyremov fable fastening means:

-My new tap device 1s particularly applicable in wooden barrelscontaining bakers materials,-such as malt syrup, molasses, condensedmilk, glucose, vegetable cooking oils,- etc. Herctofore these barrelshave been just ordinary wooden barrels with the usual opening at the topclosed by abunlg, but without any provision for tapping. 11 order to getto the contents of the barrel, the baker would either have to remove thehead alto ether, or bore a. hole in the head. Both of t ese operationsare objectionable. The

removal of the headof the barrelwould expose the contents, which wouldthus be liable to become unsanitary. Boring a hole in the barrel wouldcause cuttings or shavmgs of the wood to drop into the contents and thisextraneous matter was liable to become mixed with the dough.Furthermore, in both instances the-baker had no means of keeping thebarrel closed tight when the same was not in use. a

The foregoing andother objections and difiiculties are entirely overcomeby the use of my new tap device. The wooden plug is easily unscrewed andas easily put back. Except for a key, which in the trade is fun ke lhepart B may or the like.

fits a plug, indicated as awhole by P. I.

nished with each barrel, the baker requires no special tools forremoving or replacin the plug. The boring of a screw-threade hole in thehead or stave of the barrel adds nothing to its cost of manufacture,while the wooden plugs may be made in quantity at a. very slight cost.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a preferred form of my newtap device in cross-section;

' Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1'; j

Fig. 3 is a detached viewof the wooden phig shown in Fig. 1;

g. 4 is a view similar to 1 with the.

phig removed; a

ig. 5 is a plan view similar to Fig.- 2 on a smaller scale, showingdifierentmeans for holding the plug against rotation; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a suitable or turning the plug.

e considered as representing the head or a stave of a wooden barrel.refer to the part B as a wooden barrel. .The barrel B is provided with ahole consisting of a screw-threaded portion 1 and an enlargedcylindrical portion ,2 having-a. shoul-.

der :3 adapted to receive-a gasket-or washer 4 of suitable material,such as leather, fiber Into the screw-threaded hole prefer to' make the.plug of wood, but other suitable non-metallic materials may beused,such as compressed paper, fiber, hard rubber, and the likeThislpl'u comprises a screw-threaded body portion ahead 6, and a neck 6'of smaller diameter than the body portion 5. When the plug is screwed int1ght, the underside of the head Gengages the washer 4 and thus roducesa tight joint through which no lea age can take place. It is preferablethat the screw-threads 1 'of the hole and the screw-threads 5 of theplug be made heavy and easy to fit, so that only a few turns arerequired to screw the plug into or out of the hole. As shown in Fig. 1,when the plug is in tight,'the screw-threads 1 and 5 engage at thesurfaces marked a and are out of holding contact'at the points I). Sothat, with the construction shown, merely giving the tight plug afraction of a turn to the left, loosens the plug and makes its withdrawal very easy, even should the screwthreads be covered with thecontents of the barrel. When the plugis screwed home, it forms aleak-proofjoint andthe head 0f the orconvenience, I will therefore its 'and similar members 12 the cost of the .a practical extent plug liessubstantially flush with the head or stave of the barrel.

The co-operating serew=threads of the hole and the plug are of suchloose fit as to allow for expansion and contraction of the wood,'so thatthe plug is always easily removed and replaced.

To facilitate the turning of the plug, I provide a suitable key K, asshown in Fig. 6, having a pair of prongs or fingers? arranged to entercorresponding holes or sockets or recesses 8 in the head 6 of the plug.Instead of holes sockets or recesses 8, other forms of gripping surfacesmay be used, as for instance, a key-slot.

The plug P is locked against accidental rotation, as when the barrel isin shipment, by suitable fastening devices, such as staples 9, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2. Or, I- may secure a metal strip 10 across the plug,preferably in position to cover and conceal the openings 8, as shown inFig. 5. The strip 10 is secured to the stave or head of the barrel byremovable fastening members 11, such as tacks, screws, .etc., passthrough the strip into the head of the plug. By lacing the metalstrip-10 so as-to concea the openings or sockets 8, the barrel will beto protected against unauthorlzed or mischievous o ening.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an exceedinglysimple and formed as part of the inexpensive device, barrel itself, forreadily etfecti'ngan opeir ing to permit access to the contents of thebarrel and for keeping the barrel closed when not in use. My inventionhas nothing to do with metal bungs which have heretofore been suggestedand which have not been found suitable for the purpose which my new tadevice so well fulfills. Barrels -with metal ic bungs must be providedwith metal bushin s or thimbles into which the buhgs fit, an these partsadd so much to barrel as to make their use absolutely prohibitive inbarrels which are not returned for refilling. It is a well known factthat wooden barrels ()ntaining bakers materials are used but once} Whenbung including a 1 permit easy tfac'esfor turning t a barrel is empty,it is not sent back to be refilled. but the user sells it'as asecondhand barrel. \Vhen the second-hand barrel dealer gets these emptybarrels, he must put in a new head before he can sell them again. So it.is essential that the tapd evice in the original barrel be asinexpensive as possible. This indispensable feature is one of theadvantages inherenttin my invention.

'lVhat I claim is}:

1. A wooden be having a 'screw threaded hole formed; through the wood,itself, said hole terminating at its outer end in an enlarged annularrecess providing an annular shoulder, a gasket on said shoulder, saidgasket having flat inner and outer faces. a screw bung of hardnonmetallic material seated in said hole, said screw shank or plug, andan enlarged cylindrical head, said head adapted to lit in said recesswith its outer face flush with the outer fa e of the barrel and Is innerface engagingthe flat faced gasket, the cooperating threads of the holeand the plug being of loose fit whereby to allow for expansion andcontraction and to removal and replacing of the means for locking thebung to the bung,

barre-l against retrograde movement of thebung, and gripping surfacesformed in the top',"-,of sa d head, in combination with a key adapted toengage said gripping sur- 1e bung.

'2. A wooden barrel having a screwthreadcd hole formed in the wooditself, said hole terminating at its outer end in an enlarged recessprovided with a shoulder, a gasket on saidshoulder, a screw plug of hardnon-mctallic material seated in said hole, said plug having an enlargedhead adapted to fit in said recess and engage said gasket, sockets inthe head of said plug adapted to accommodate a key to permit turningthereof, and a fastening plate extending over said head and coverin andconcealing the aforesaid sockets, said plate secured adjacent itsopposite ends to the barrel, and to the head-of the plug;

WILLIAM RUPP.

